Billy Joel – The Essential Billy Joel (2001/2013) [Qobuz FLAC 24bit/96kHz]

Billy Joel – The Essential Billy Joel (2001/2013)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 02:35:00 minutes | 3,26 GB | Genre: Rock, Pop
Studio Master, Official Digital Download – Source: Qobuz | @ Columbia

A full 34 of his hits plus two newly recorded tunes! Every favorite’s here- Piano Man; Just the Way You Are; My Life; You May Be Right; Tell Her About It; Uptown Girl; We Didn’t Start the Fire; Only the Good Die Young; It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me; The River of Dreams; Honesty; Allentown, and more.

Released in conjunction with Billy Joel’s grand experiment with classical music, The Essential Billy Joel was a welcome reminder of Billy Joel’s way with a pop song, improving on the previous Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 & 2 by extending into the ’90s and delving deeper into his catalog. There were some casualties along the way — it’s easy for a fan to carp about the absence of personal favorites like “She’s Right on Time” or “Travelin’ Prayer,” and it may even make some sense that “You’re Only Human (Second Wind)” or “Shameless” didn’t make the cut, but it’s mind-boggling that “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant” isn’t here (we won’t mention that the classical pieces that end the record, no matter how surprisingly good they are, are as out of place as Attila would have been) — but for the most part, this has every one of Joel’s heavy-hitters, and his craftsmanship, both as a songsmith and record maker, has never shone brighter. The biggest fault is that there is a notable drop-off in quality after 1986’s The Bridge (which ends midway through disc two), but even so, this is as good a distillation of Joel’s talents imaginable. In fact, as the first disc unfurls, even cynics may wonder why he’s been dogged by the critics, since singer/songwriter pop doesn’t come better than “Say Goodbye to Hollywood,” “New York State of Mind,” “Only the Good Die Young,” “My Life,” “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me,” “Don’t Ask Me Why,” “Allentown,” and their seven companions. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Tracklist:
01 – Piano Man
02 – You’re My Home
03 – Captain Jack
04 – The Entertainer
05 – Say Goodbye to Hollywood
06 – Miami 2017 (I’ve Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)
07 – New York State of Mind
08 – She’s Always a Woman
09 – Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)
10 – Only the Good Die Young
11 – Just the Way You Are
12 – Honesty
13 – My Life
14 – It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me
15 – You May Be Right
16 – Don’t Ask Me Why
17 – She’s Got a Way (Live)
18 – Allentown
19 – Goodnight Saigon
20 – An Innocent Man
21 – Uptown Girl
22 – The Longest Time
23 – Tell Her About It
24 – Leave a Tender Moment Alone
25 – A Matter of Trust
26 – Baby Grand
27 – I Go to Extremes
28 – We Didn’t Start the Fire
29 – Leningrad
30 – The Downeaster “Alexa”
31 – And so It Goes
32 – The River of Dreams
33 – All About Soul (Remix)
34 – Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)
35 – Waltz No. 1 (Nunley’s Carousel)
36 – Invention In C minor